"I know Hudson, but... I don't know; I feel like by standing back I'm making her face all of that alone," Brooklyn sighed.
"She has demons that no one can defeat, but her," Goliath said, "but that doesn't mean that we can't let her know that she has the support of the clan."
"I will go talk to the lass,"
"No, Hudson, I will speak with her," Goliath said, "I think this needs to come from the clan leader."
"Aye, go ahead lad, but let her know that if she needs to talk I'm willing to listen." Hudson sighed wryly, there was so much Fiona had yet to let them know and he felt the strain of being the one she confided her secrets to
"I will old friend," Goliath said.
Goliath left, and Hudson turned to Brooklyn, "Lad, may I speak with ya," he said turning to walk away.
"Okay, Hudson," Brooklyn said while following Hudson back to another room.
"I've noticed that you seem awfully protective of Fiona; you do realize she is not ready for anything that you probably want yet, she's a might too young." Hudson had his back turned, but Brooklyn could tell that he was concerned
"I know Hudson, but I feel like I need to be there for her even if she isn't ready for a mate she could always use a friend, right?" Brooklyn said looking at Hudson.
"Aye, you have a point there, the lass can never have too many friends, but it seems like... I don't know how I'm going to explain this lad..."
"I know, I seem overprotective of her, but I don't want her to get hurt again. Not after what she's seen, and had to go through."
"I agree, we cannot let that happen again, and we won't," Hudson said.
Meanwhile Goliath had found Fiona in the library.
"Fiona I wanted to speak to you," he said in a gentle tone.
"I don't know what to think, Goliath, the way that Brooklyn looks at me, I don't understand..." Fiona had her wings caped around herself and it looked almost as if she were hugging herself. Goliath noted that she didn't look him in the eye and realized that she was truly insecure
"He cares about you."
"I know that, but I keep thinking he is going to expect something from me and..." she turned her back not wanted Goliath to see her face
"Fiona no one has that kind of expectations of you, we just want you to be healthy, and happy here."
"I know Goliath it's just, it's so hard for me to understand everything that's going on, I'm on the cusp of something that I don't understand,"
"Growing up isn't easy, but you aren't alone; you have us, the members of the clan won't look down on you if you start asking questions about things," Goliath said.
"Goliath, do you think that Brooklyn..." she turned back to Goliath, he could see this look, like she was hoping that Brooklyn cared about her
"I cannot say what Brooklyn wants other than to say that he cares for you in a way I think he has for few others," Goliath said.
A few moments later Brooklyn walked in,
"Fiona, may I speak with you for a moment?"
"I will let you be alone," Goliath said as he stepped out.
"Fiona, I know I seem protective, and that's just, because I don't want to see you get hurt," Brooklyn explained.
"I know Brooklyn... I've just had so much happen that... it isn't easy to step into a new clan like this; I don't know really what you expect of me as a member of this clan."
"Why did you join?"
"Because I didn't want to be alone anymore, Brooklyn, besides you guys didn't treat me the way my clan did. They thought I was bad luck; they thought that the reason they were having so many problems was, because I was there. I was being ostracized in my own clan, Brooklyn, then they had the nerve to demand that I return to be treated badly again. I don't think so, I'll never face that again!"
Goliath who had not moved beyond his hearing range had overheard this, and went to Hudson.
"Hudson, I know I should not eavesdrop, but I overheard Fiona telling Brooklyn that her clan treated her as if all their misfortunes were, because she was bad luck."
"Some clans do believe that a white gargoyle be bad luck," Hudson shook his head, "I never understood the true reason behind that, I think it's, because they are so easy to spot; they don't exactly blend in anywhere except maybe in areas where there is a lot of snow."
"Maybe that is the reason that perpetuated the rumor that white gargoyles were bad luck."
"So few of them exist that I wonder how the rumor got started."
"Maybe they weren't as uncommon in her clan as they were in most," Goliath suggested.
"Perhaps, I'm not going to theorize lad, she is here with us, and we need to help her feel welcome among us. Let the lass know we don't think she's bad luck."
"I think she is figuring that out, Hudson, it's just, she's coming of age, and that is a difficult time in her life."
"After all she went through being different from the rest of her clan has wounded her emotionally, her heart bears deep wounds Goliath, some of which will have to be taken care of before she can find her mate. Some of them, only her mate can tend." Hudson took a deep breath and turned his left side to his student as if thinking that would keep Goliath from reading the anger in his eyes.
"It seems from the looks of things that might be Brooklyn, she has confided things in Brooklyn that she hasn't even confided in you old friend," Goliath said.
"Aye, perhaps it will be, he'll be good to the lass, I know that much."
Elisa entered the room, she felt slightly concerned about the ordeal that Fiona had been through.
"Where is Fiona?" she asked Goliath.
"Last I saw her she was in the library with Brooklyn," Goliath stated.
"But Goliath she's young, naïve..."
"It's Brooklyn."
"I keep forgetting that young male gargoyles aren't as hormone crazy as their human counterparts," Elisa sighed, "My first instinct is to react for the safety of the girl, because I'm a cop, and I've seen one too many teenagers get lives ruined, because some guy decides to take advantage of her naivety. In this situation I have to remind myself that they are gargoyles not humans, and the fact that I know Brooklyn wouldn't take advantage of this situation for the simple fact that he would get the beating of his life."
For Elisa the situation seemed confusing in a lot of ways, but it was obvious that the clan had no worries about what was going on so she figured she shouldn't either.
Brooklyn looked at Fiona in shock, he'd had no idea that she had been treated that way, and the way they begged her to return didn't lead him to think that this was true, was she trying to get sympathy? Then Goliath returned and Fiona left to get a snack.
"Is it true that some clans treat white gargoyles as if they are bad luck?" Brooklyn turned to Goliath the look in his eyes read that he didn't want it to be true but feared it was.
"Unfortunately, it is true, Brooklyn, and what is worse is they wouldn't want other clans to know that the white one existed, and she would probably never have found a mate in her own clan due to the fact that they were afraid that her offspring would also be white."
"They acted like they genuinely wanted her back."
"They wanted us to doubt any bad things she told us about them, they didn't want to tarnish the reputation of their clan. Pride before the well being of their own it shouldn't happen, but it does," Goliath sighed sadly.
"Is there anything I can do for her?" Brooklyn asked.
"The thing she needs right now is someone who isn't afraid to be there for her in her time of need," Goliath said.
Brooklyn nodded, he could do that, it was just a matter of would she let him.
To Be Continued...
