Brooklyn glided across the city as Loona suppressed the urge to scream. She clung to his back with her arms around his shoulders and eyes shut tight, the wind violently whipping her hair and coat about. This was what she got for turning down his offer to let him carry her instead.

She clasped at him so hard that her nails dug into Brooklyn's thick hide. He could tell that she wanted to get down.

Finally, in one of the rougher parts of town where he was assigned, he found the flat rooftop of a brick building for him to land.

Loona was shaky as she planted her feet on solid concrete again. She bent over in the corner, afraid she was going to throw up. She shouldn't have had that beer.

She sighed. It was a false alarm.

Brooklyn lightly rubbed her back. "I take it you don't travel by plane, then."

"No," Loona nervously chuckled as she stood back up. "I'm a— I'm a land mammal."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just, uh…" She tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear. "That was a first. My first time flying." She rested her palms on the raised brick ledge as she leaned out watching the evening traffic below. "This I can handle."

The neighborhood had fallen under disrepair, once again due to the neglect of city officials. Not many people lived there, save for several petty criminals, families barely able to get by, and young people disowned by their parents.

Brooklyn leaned on the roof ledge next to Loona. "Sorry I didn't get patrol in a nicer neighborhood. I didn't think you'd insist on coming along."

"No, it's okay. I'm… I'm used to places like this. At least from up here I'm safe."

They heard the echo of a distant police siren.

"So… this family of yours," said Loona. "They just tell you to go on patrol every night?"

"Well, no. Not always. Things have just gotten a lot weirder than usual, if you can believe it."

"Ha! What, weirder than being frozen in time? Or fighting with a magical king?" She awkwardly looked away. She was one to talk, given her own circumstances.

Brooklyn laughed. "Yeah… I love my family, but sometimes… It can get so frustrating. Last year I was left in charge of our clan for several weeks while Goliath was off making some long journey across the world."

Loona looked at him curiously.

"Oh, Goliath is our leader," Brooklyn clarified. "He and a couple others left without a word of where they were going, or how long… And since I was assigned his second-in-command I had to take over while he was gone. But since he's come back sometimes it's like my job's not so important anymore. Like I'm just a dumb hatchling again…

"Loona, you said before that you were trying to figure yourself out. Right now I'm not so sure how I fit in my family anymore. Lex looks after our landlord's kid, Hudson is kinda retired, Broadway and Angela have got each other… What does that leave me…?"

"Hmm. Guess families are made to disappoint, huh?"

Brooklyn glanced at her, prompting her to explain.

"I don't know where my dad is," Loona elaborated. "At least, I think he's my dad. I managed to track him here but I haven't had any luck actually finding him."

"Hmm… Maybe we can help. Do you know his name? What he looks like?"

"Nope. Just…" She rubbed at her nose. "… memories."

Brooklyn looked over towards the Eyrie Building, where Castle Wyvern stood above the clouds. At least his family was there for him.

Brooklyn gave her a troubled glance. "So, where are you from?"

"What do you mean? I told you I've had to move around a lot."

"Then I take it you don't know where you were born."

"Uh-uh. I mean… I guess you could at least say that I'm from out-of-state, but that's about it. I haven't found any record of where I'm from or who my parents really are." She thought back to that cellar in the abandoned house, how all she had to show for her efforts was the stink of brimstone and a thick blue book. "No matter how hard I try…"

"And you came to New York on a hunch that this one guy might have the answers. If you don't even know who he is, how do you think he's gonna do that?"

"Hey, gimme a break! It's all I got to go on right now, alright?"

"Okay, okay." He looked out at one of the partially abandoned buildings and through a broken window he could see a mother and child desperately huddled together in an unfurnished room.

"What about you?" Loona asked. "If you can fly, then why stay here? Couldn't you go anywhere you want?"

"This is our home," Brooklyn firmly answered. "As gargoyles we are sworn to protect it."

"Hmph!" Loona glared down at a scurrying thief hiding some bulky contraband underneath his jacket. She stood up and said, "I don't know why you would. People are just the worst." She walked over towards the fire escape ladder.

"Not really," Brooklyn disagreed. "We've met some humans that were—"

"Let me guess: 'Not all humans are bad?'"

Brooklyn followed her to the ledge. "How can you say that? You're human, too."

Loona paused. She wanted to correct him on that, but instead she replied, "Exactly."

"Loona, wait!"

She slid down the ladder and Brooklyn followed, gliding into the alleyway with a soft landing.

He found her tucked between two large trashcans, sitting on the ground in a fetal position.

He folded his wings, carefully moved aside on of the trashcans and sat down beside her. He didn't say anything or ask anything further. He didn't have to. He had seen what humans do to their own and there was a look of deep-seeded hurt in her eyes.

Loona sighed. He deserved at least some explanation.

"People have always just… hated me… It didn't matter if I was nice, no one wanted me around." She looked at her black-painted nails. "That's why I'm here." She tightened her hand into a fist. "I want answers…"

"Loona—"

They were interrupted by a scream further down the alley. Brooklyn sprung to his feet and Loona followed.

"Get away from me!" the homeless girl shouted.

"Come on! I know you're in cahoots with those freaks! Where are they hiding!?"

The teenage girl whimpered. She knew what he was talking about, but she wasn't going to sell out her neighbors.

"Hey!" someone else shouted.

The hooded man in surplus SWAT gear turned around. He wore the insignia of the Quarrymen on his chest.

"Maybe they're right here…" Brooklyn threatened.

The Quarryman pulled the girl even closer, his gun at the ready. "Perfect. You'll be my first trophy."

"Let the kid go!" Brooklyn growled with furious glowing eyes.

"Only if you're gonna make this easy, freak!"

Brooklyn snarled. He had no intention of giving himself up so easily, but he needed to get the girl out of there first.

Before he could further assess the situation Loona bounded off a dumpster with a furious yell. She pounced on the man's shoulders, forcing him to drop the gun and the girl slipped out of his grip.

Without even thinking Loona pulled back the Quarryman's sleeve and bit into his forearm. He yelled out in pain and threw her off. She rolled back and hit the wall, but she sprung back on all fours.

"You lazy bums!" He clasped his arm where she had bit him. "You're even bigger freaks than I thought…" The Quarryman tried to reach for his gun, but Brooklyn snatched it off the pavement and crushed it in his claws.

He dropped the gnarled piece of scrap metal. "You gonna make this easy?" Brooklyn growled, his eyes still glowing. "It's your call."

The Quarryman was now unarmed against a gargoyle and a seemingly rabid human. He shoved Brooklyn aside and fled the alley back into the street like the coward he was.

Both Loona and Brooklyn panted in relief.

Loona got back on her feet and brushed her hair aside. "You okay…?"

"What were you thinking?" Brooklyn questioned sternly.

"What?"

"That guy had a gun! He could've shot the kid! He could've shot you!"

"Well, ex-cuse me if I went into defensive mode when I saw him point it at you!"

"That's not what I mean, Loona! You could've gotten that kid killed, you know!"

Loona flinched. It was certainly not the first time she had been reprimanded like that, but it was the first by someone whose opinion she cared about.

"What's going on out here? Are you two all right?"

Emerging from the shadows was a winged creature with a feline face, the homeless girl safely in her arms.

"Brooklyn? Is that you?"

His face lit up. "Maggie!"