Denigoddess2001@aol.com
07/04/01
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GARGOYLES. THEY BELONG TO DISNEY. I DO NOT OWN X-MEN. THEY BELONG TO MARVEL. "IN THE AIR TONIGHT" BELONGS TO PHIL COLLINS. NO INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED. I DO THIS BECAUSE I LOVE TO WRITE, I RECEIVE NO MONEY. I AM BROKE. PLEASE DO NOT SUE.
Sojourn and Champion 2.0
In The Air Tonight
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, Oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord
Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am
Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies
And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, Oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment all my life, Oh Lord, Oh Lord
Well I remember, I remember don't worry
How could I ever forget, it's the first time, the last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence up, no you don't fool me
The hurt doesn't show; but the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you or me
And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord...
Wren slowly sat up and thoroughly assessed her surroundings. Green grass cushioned their rather rough-and-tumble landing. Tall trees dotted the landscape. A bright golden haze loomed over the horizon and mingled with the smell of the city. Wren closed her eyes and attempted to listen beyond the chirping crickets and the roar of car engines. She attuned herself to the din beyond the sounds.
"We're in Central Park." She informed the towering ebony warrior as he helped her to her feet. "I just don' know if this is the New York City we know."
"Did you not wish for a place where Gargoyles are respected and accepted?" Demetrius carefully ran his talons slowly over her. "Are you injured, Milady? I'm just a bit bumped and bruise with no worse for wear."
"I am glad of it." His deep voice always carried a heavy Scottish inflection when he felt deep emotion. "Are you well to travel?"
"I am." She looked skywards. "You haven't flown in awhile."
"You've not flown with me for many moons, Wren." He said softly. "I long to feel your warmth as we glide on the currents."
Wren blushed furiously as she understood his reference. He had shared with her many aspects of Gargoyle mating customs. She knew that he longed to return to the clan and have Goliath recognize them as mates before his rookery mates. Wren knew that he held such traditions in high regard. Demetrius yearned to soar in the skies with her in a mating flight. Fear of falling crept into her reflections of a future with her paramour. Exchanges of tokens, clan gatherings, breeding moons and mating flights seemed such a far cry from engagement rings, weddings, honeymoons, and wedding night jitters.
"Demetrius, you understand my emotions for you are love and passion. I'm still dealing with our differences and trying to reconcile them." Wren felt guilty of being inflexible and dogmatic when she spoke her inner thoughts. "Please, understand, that I need time and I may never be able to join with you in that aspect."
"Wren, fret not over such things. Love is not an agenda of dates and timetables. It blossoms of its own volition when it is right. I am a Gargoyle. I know how to wait." He leisurely brought his lips to hers. The first contact of his kiss sent ripples of warmth through her. Wren moaned softly and snaked her arms around his neck. Demetrius growled with pure Gargoyle gratification. He lifted her easily to better deepen their kiss. Every yielding curve pressed heatedly against Demetrius' solid contours. His scent brought giddiness to her bordering on mania. His tasted of cool mint and spice, cinnamon and chocolate.
She felt drenched, as he knew her intimately with that tender exploration. His essence cloaked her in silken veils of ardor and devotion. His fervor teased her senses and restrained taunted her need. With each moon, his scent became more familiar to her. She guessed it part of their empathic joining. Right now, it told her that he was a minute away from stripping away his kilt and loving her in the grass bathed only in moonlight.
"Whoa, there! Let's take it easy." She panted. Somehow she found the will within her to withdraw from his sensually maddening seduction. "Damn, you get me every time with that kiss."
She called that primal physical and psychic connection during their kisses enrapturement. It filled her with a complete sense of joy and elation she never otherwise knew. His touch removed doubt and brought utter lunacy to her naturally ordered mind. When Demetrius kissed her, Wren would have walked gladly over hot coals for him.
"Milady, know that my love is everlasting. It is boundless. It is fervent and steadfast. If my kisses will assure you of my faithfulness and earnestness, then I shall kiss you well until stars reign as fire from the heaven." His violent orbs burned brightly in the darkness with his passionate declaration. He placed his hand to his rapidly beating heart. "I am your most humble servant and devoted champion."
"I've never doubted that. I doubt myself." She found the courage to admit her unspoken fear for the first time. "I don't know if I can feel as much or as deeply as you do."
"The empathic sight given to my clan allows me to know your heart. You love me and that is enough for me to know." He planted a chaste kiss on her brow. "We need to take to the air to learn more of this place."
"Help! Somebody please help me." A voice cried out in the night. Two heads snapped in the direction of the plea. Wren saw two dark clad assailants drag a runner from the jogging path. The woman's screams tore at Wren's heart.
[Who knows what they have in mind!] Wren hit the ground running fast and hard in the direction of the woman's attackers. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that Demetrius had dropped to all fours. He sped swiftly past her and used his powerful legs to propel himself over the hedge and into the bushes where the attackers had the jogger.
She watched the woman scramble from under one of the bushes and into the night. Wren watched her and she seemed uninjured. Then, a gunshot brought her attention back to the mess of arms, legs, wings and tail tumbling about in the bushes.
"Demetrius!" Came her panicked cry. Wren watched one of the attacker's hand rise upward with gun ready to fire. Wren found her annulus and focused her energy into the weapon as it cut through the midnight air. Its aim was true as it found its mark and knocked the weapon from the thug's hand. Demetrius rose to standing and towered over the cowering thug.
"I detest firearms." His ominous statement startled the thug. The Gargoyle picked up the gun and crumbled it in his powerful grasp. He picked up the hapless man and flung him into the nearest tree. His clothing caught on a sturdy branch and he hung twenty feet in the air with arms and legs helplessly flailing.
"Oooh, good shot!" Wren cheered. She watched the second one attempted to escape the champion's notice and skulk away into the night. "I don't think so, Mister."
She unleashed the power of the Annulus as it soared toward her targets running feet. Impacting him in the back of the leg, the thug fell quickly to the ground facedown. The circlet came back around and returned immediately to Wren's grasp. She watched him rise in a second endeavor to flight. Wren's hand flamed with a vibrant green halo. Somehow a tree branch found it's way in front of his feet and he fell facedown again to the ground. He remained still as Wren cautiously approached him. After a quick examination, she realized him to be unconscious.
"Demetrius?" She called out softly.
"I am here." He rose to his feet. He reminded her of a tomcat coming from an alley fight. He shook away the leaves and grass that clung to him. He raked his talons through his thick white mane. He smoothed the wrinkles out of his kilt and folded his wings about him.
[Some things never change. The sun rises in the east, the sky is blue, and Demetrius primps until he's physical perfection.]
"Should we not call the police?" He cast her a worried glance.
"No, I don't think so." Wren didn't want to admit that she was frightened of this strange place. "I want to know more about where we are first before we make a spectacle of ourselves. Let's just get out of here."
They stayed in the shadows as best they could. They finally found a brownstone that Demetrius was able to climb. Wren tightly shut her eyes and held on for dear life as his talons embedded themselves in the granite. She knew his ascent was an effortless exercise for him. Yet, it was a test of faith for her. She hated heights.
"Milady, look only to my eyes and find solace there." His calm words soothed her. He scooped her in his powerful arms and gracefully dove from the roof of the brownstone. She felt his wings catch the updraft as they soared upwards. "Where shall we go?"
"Good question." She racked her brain for locations suitable for hiding them. Only one came to mind. "I don't know about things here. Let's see what the condition is of St. Damien's cathedral."
Throughout their flight, she refused to look down. She used the tops of skyscrapers to direct Demetrius to the abandoned church. To their relief, they found the church deserted. He soared in through the bell tower and landed on the floor. She slipped and surveyed the area. She noticed no holes in the roof and no pigeon droppings. Gargoyles hated pigeons. Demetrius was always particular about his roosting perch.
"Stay here, I shall scout the area." She watched as the Gargoyle investigated the rest of the cathedral. Shortly he returned and gave her is assessment. "There are no fresh scents here. This is truly a deserted place."
"We can rest here tonight. I'll do some footwork and figure out when and where we are." She reached in her purse and checked her spare change. "I'm going to get us a newspaper and do some research."
"You can not mean that you'll walk alone in this city?" Demetrius exclaimed.
"Dem, I survived six battles in ancient Greece and having my ass kicked by the god of war. New York is a cake walk." She said with more bravado than she felt. "Take a load off your feet, kick back, and relax. I'll be back before sunrise with food and goodies. You might want to stone sleep. I don't have the money to feed us when you stay awake during the day. You eat three cows a day when you do that."
"Dragonspeed, Love. May Her blessing follow you."
"No, you stay put." She smirked as she found the stairs that led to the bottom levels of the cathedral.
A newspaper, a cup of coffee at a nearby diner, and two hours later she still sat stupefied in her booth. It was New York City all right, but not the one she knew. It wasn't June 2005, it was June 1996. There were no X-Men, Mutants, and friends of Humanity. She tried to place a call to the Xavier Institute and was told by the operator that the number belonged to a hardware store in Salem Center. There was no such listing.
She sipped her coffee gingerly as she watched re-runs of a show called 'The Pack.' Her cup slipped from her trembling hand as she saw a face she knew well stare back at her from the television. She recognized the fiery mane of red hair and the teal tattoo. Fox was a television star in a reality-based show.
"Saints preserve me." She whispered. She surmised that not were they only transported to a reflective realm mirroring their own. The duo also had jumped backwards in time; a consequence of the Tears of Tacitus and the Chronos Fragments being embedded in the annulus. "What do we do now?"
There was only one solution, she needed to call Owen. Either as Owen or Puck, he'd know what to do and how to help them. She fumbled in her purse for thirty-five cents. She managed to keep her composure. Her trembling fingers dialed his home number and she said a prayer that his counterpart in this dimension shared the same number.
"Hello?" Came a muffled reply from the other end of the line.
"Owen?"
"Ysss...whatdoyawant?" His words were slurred from his groggy state.
"My name is Wren. I know you're Puck from Avalon and that you're Xanatos' majordomo. I know that Goliath and the clan resides in the castle." She shot out.
"You have my attention." A cold, crisp voice chilled her soul. "Continue."
"My name is Wren and I'm not from here." She explained. "I come from a place where Gargoyles are mistaken for beasts and I know that to be far from the truth. You might say that I'm chronologically displaced."
"Why did you call here?"
"Because, I know you to understand such things." She noticed the waitress at the counter suddenly avert her gaze. "There are too many ears paying attention to me. Can you meet with me?"
"I will send a car for you." The British accent clipped. "Where are you?"
"I know my way to the castle." She replied. "I'll meet you at the front lobby in an hour."
She hung up the phone as the waitress turned away from her. She grabbed her coat and threw some money on the table to cover her bill. Wren walked briskly until a she was a safe distance from the diner. She focused her attention upon a clean cab to come down the block. She felt that familiar tingle in her hands as they began to glow in her pockets. Around the corner came her chariot.
"TAXI!!" She said in a loud bellow that would have made Demetrius proud. She stepped in and took a seat.
"Where to, lady?"
"Eyrie Building."
[I just pray that I haven't delivered us from the frying pan into the fire.]
TO BE CONTINUED.....
07/04/01
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GARGOYLES. THEY BELONG TO DISNEY. I DO NOT OWN X-MEN. THEY BELONG TO MARVEL. "IN THE AIR TONIGHT" BELONGS TO PHIL COLLINS. NO INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED. I DO THIS BECAUSE I LOVE TO WRITE, I RECEIVE NO MONEY. I AM BROKE. PLEASE DO NOT SUE.
Sojourn and Champion 2.0
In The Air Tonight
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, Oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord
Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am
Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies
And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, Oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment all my life, Oh Lord, Oh Lord
Well I remember, I remember don't worry
How could I ever forget, it's the first time, the last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence up, no you don't fool me
The hurt doesn't show; but the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you or me
And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord...
Wren slowly sat up and thoroughly assessed her surroundings. Green grass cushioned their rather rough-and-tumble landing. Tall trees dotted the landscape. A bright golden haze loomed over the horizon and mingled with the smell of the city. Wren closed her eyes and attempted to listen beyond the chirping crickets and the roar of car engines. She attuned herself to the din beyond the sounds.
"We're in Central Park." She informed the towering ebony warrior as he helped her to her feet. "I just don' know if this is the New York City we know."
"Did you not wish for a place where Gargoyles are respected and accepted?" Demetrius carefully ran his talons slowly over her. "Are you injured, Milady? I'm just a bit bumped and bruise with no worse for wear."
"I am glad of it." His deep voice always carried a heavy Scottish inflection when he felt deep emotion. "Are you well to travel?"
"I am." She looked skywards. "You haven't flown in awhile."
"You've not flown with me for many moons, Wren." He said softly. "I long to feel your warmth as we glide on the currents."
Wren blushed furiously as she understood his reference. He had shared with her many aspects of Gargoyle mating customs. She knew that he longed to return to the clan and have Goliath recognize them as mates before his rookery mates. Wren knew that he held such traditions in high regard. Demetrius yearned to soar in the skies with her in a mating flight. Fear of falling crept into her reflections of a future with her paramour. Exchanges of tokens, clan gatherings, breeding moons and mating flights seemed such a far cry from engagement rings, weddings, honeymoons, and wedding night jitters.
"Demetrius, you understand my emotions for you are love and passion. I'm still dealing with our differences and trying to reconcile them." Wren felt guilty of being inflexible and dogmatic when she spoke her inner thoughts. "Please, understand, that I need time and I may never be able to join with you in that aspect."
"Wren, fret not over such things. Love is not an agenda of dates and timetables. It blossoms of its own volition when it is right. I am a Gargoyle. I know how to wait." He leisurely brought his lips to hers. The first contact of his kiss sent ripples of warmth through her. Wren moaned softly and snaked her arms around his neck. Demetrius growled with pure Gargoyle gratification. He lifted her easily to better deepen their kiss. Every yielding curve pressed heatedly against Demetrius' solid contours. His scent brought giddiness to her bordering on mania. His tasted of cool mint and spice, cinnamon and chocolate.
She felt drenched, as he knew her intimately with that tender exploration. His essence cloaked her in silken veils of ardor and devotion. His fervor teased her senses and restrained taunted her need. With each moon, his scent became more familiar to her. She guessed it part of their empathic joining. Right now, it told her that he was a minute away from stripping away his kilt and loving her in the grass bathed only in moonlight.
"Whoa, there! Let's take it easy." She panted. Somehow she found the will within her to withdraw from his sensually maddening seduction. "Damn, you get me every time with that kiss."
She called that primal physical and psychic connection during their kisses enrapturement. It filled her with a complete sense of joy and elation she never otherwise knew. His touch removed doubt and brought utter lunacy to her naturally ordered mind. When Demetrius kissed her, Wren would have walked gladly over hot coals for him.
"Milady, know that my love is everlasting. It is boundless. It is fervent and steadfast. If my kisses will assure you of my faithfulness and earnestness, then I shall kiss you well until stars reign as fire from the heaven." His violent orbs burned brightly in the darkness with his passionate declaration. He placed his hand to his rapidly beating heart. "I am your most humble servant and devoted champion."
"I've never doubted that. I doubt myself." She found the courage to admit her unspoken fear for the first time. "I don't know if I can feel as much or as deeply as you do."
"The empathic sight given to my clan allows me to know your heart. You love me and that is enough for me to know." He planted a chaste kiss on her brow. "We need to take to the air to learn more of this place."
"Help! Somebody please help me." A voice cried out in the night. Two heads snapped in the direction of the plea. Wren saw two dark clad assailants drag a runner from the jogging path. The woman's screams tore at Wren's heart.
[Who knows what they have in mind!] Wren hit the ground running fast and hard in the direction of the woman's attackers. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that Demetrius had dropped to all fours. He sped swiftly past her and used his powerful legs to propel himself over the hedge and into the bushes where the attackers had the jogger.
She watched the woman scramble from under one of the bushes and into the night. Wren watched her and she seemed uninjured. Then, a gunshot brought her attention back to the mess of arms, legs, wings and tail tumbling about in the bushes.
"Demetrius!" Came her panicked cry. Wren watched one of the attacker's hand rise upward with gun ready to fire. Wren found her annulus and focused her energy into the weapon as it cut through the midnight air. Its aim was true as it found its mark and knocked the weapon from the thug's hand. Demetrius rose to standing and towered over the cowering thug.
"I detest firearms." His ominous statement startled the thug. The Gargoyle picked up the gun and crumbled it in his powerful grasp. He picked up the hapless man and flung him into the nearest tree. His clothing caught on a sturdy branch and he hung twenty feet in the air with arms and legs helplessly flailing.
"Oooh, good shot!" Wren cheered. She watched the second one attempted to escape the champion's notice and skulk away into the night. "I don't think so, Mister."
She unleashed the power of the Annulus as it soared toward her targets running feet. Impacting him in the back of the leg, the thug fell quickly to the ground facedown. The circlet came back around and returned immediately to Wren's grasp. She watched him rise in a second endeavor to flight. Wren's hand flamed with a vibrant green halo. Somehow a tree branch found it's way in front of his feet and he fell facedown again to the ground. He remained still as Wren cautiously approached him. After a quick examination, she realized him to be unconscious.
"Demetrius?" She called out softly.
"I am here." He rose to his feet. He reminded her of a tomcat coming from an alley fight. He shook away the leaves and grass that clung to him. He raked his talons through his thick white mane. He smoothed the wrinkles out of his kilt and folded his wings about him.
[Some things never change. The sun rises in the east, the sky is blue, and Demetrius primps until he's physical perfection.]
"Should we not call the police?" He cast her a worried glance.
"No, I don't think so." Wren didn't want to admit that she was frightened of this strange place. "I want to know more about where we are first before we make a spectacle of ourselves. Let's just get out of here."
They stayed in the shadows as best they could. They finally found a brownstone that Demetrius was able to climb. Wren tightly shut her eyes and held on for dear life as his talons embedded themselves in the granite. She knew his ascent was an effortless exercise for him. Yet, it was a test of faith for her. She hated heights.
"Milady, look only to my eyes and find solace there." His calm words soothed her. He scooped her in his powerful arms and gracefully dove from the roof of the brownstone. She felt his wings catch the updraft as they soared upwards. "Where shall we go?"
"Good question." She racked her brain for locations suitable for hiding them. Only one came to mind. "I don't know about things here. Let's see what the condition is of St. Damien's cathedral."
Throughout their flight, she refused to look down. She used the tops of skyscrapers to direct Demetrius to the abandoned church. To their relief, they found the church deserted. He soared in through the bell tower and landed on the floor. She slipped and surveyed the area. She noticed no holes in the roof and no pigeon droppings. Gargoyles hated pigeons. Demetrius was always particular about his roosting perch.
"Stay here, I shall scout the area." She watched as the Gargoyle investigated the rest of the cathedral. Shortly he returned and gave her is assessment. "There are no fresh scents here. This is truly a deserted place."
"We can rest here tonight. I'll do some footwork and figure out when and where we are." She reached in her purse and checked her spare change. "I'm going to get us a newspaper and do some research."
"You can not mean that you'll walk alone in this city?" Demetrius exclaimed.
"Dem, I survived six battles in ancient Greece and having my ass kicked by the god of war. New York is a cake walk." She said with more bravado than she felt. "Take a load off your feet, kick back, and relax. I'll be back before sunrise with food and goodies. You might want to stone sleep. I don't have the money to feed us when you stay awake during the day. You eat three cows a day when you do that."
"Dragonspeed, Love. May Her blessing follow you."
"No, you stay put." She smirked as she found the stairs that led to the bottom levels of the cathedral.
A newspaper, a cup of coffee at a nearby diner, and two hours later she still sat stupefied in her booth. It was New York City all right, but not the one she knew. It wasn't June 2005, it was June 1996. There were no X-Men, Mutants, and friends of Humanity. She tried to place a call to the Xavier Institute and was told by the operator that the number belonged to a hardware store in Salem Center. There was no such listing.
She sipped her coffee gingerly as she watched re-runs of a show called 'The Pack.' Her cup slipped from her trembling hand as she saw a face she knew well stare back at her from the television. She recognized the fiery mane of red hair and the teal tattoo. Fox was a television star in a reality-based show.
"Saints preserve me." She whispered. She surmised that not were they only transported to a reflective realm mirroring their own. The duo also had jumped backwards in time; a consequence of the Tears of Tacitus and the Chronos Fragments being embedded in the annulus. "What do we do now?"
There was only one solution, she needed to call Owen. Either as Owen or Puck, he'd know what to do and how to help them. She fumbled in her purse for thirty-five cents. She managed to keep her composure. Her trembling fingers dialed his home number and she said a prayer that his counterpart in this dimension shared the same number.
"Hello?" Came a muffled reply from the other end of the line.
"Owen?"
"Ysss...whatdoyawant?" His words were slurred from his groggy state.
"My name is Wren. I know you're Puck from Avalon and that you're Xanatos' majordomo. I know that Goliath and the clan resides in the castle." She shot out.
"You have my attention." A cold, crisp voice chilled her soul. "Continue."
"My name is Wren and I'm not from here." She explained. "I come from a place where Gargoyles are mistaken for beasts and I know that to be far from the truth. You might say that I'm chronologically displaced."
"Why did you call here?"
"Because, I know you to understand such things." She noticed the waitress at the counter suddenly avert her gaze. "There are too many ears paying attention to me. Can you meet with me?"
"I will send a car for you." The British accent clipped. "Where are you?"
"I know my way to the castle." She replied. "I'll meet you at the front lobby in an hour."
She hung up the phone as the waitress turned away from her. She grabbed her coat and threw some money on the table to cover her bill. Wren walked briskly until a she was a safe distance from the diner. She focused her attention upon a clean cab to come down the block. She felt that familiar tingle in her hands as they began to glow in her pockets. Around the corner came her chariot.
"TAXI!!" She said in a loud bellow that would have made Demetrius proud. She stepped in and took a seat.
"Where to, lady?"
"Eyrie Building."
[I just pray that I haven't delivered us from the frying pan into the fire.]
TO BE CONTINUED.....