Changes
By Jake Denton (kingcobra49036@yahoo.com)
CHAPTER 2 - Goliath's Choice
The next evening, as soon as the sun went down, and I was home recuperating from my nightly transformation, I decided to go for a glide. It was such a beautifully luxurious night, and I was discontent. It had been a few days since I had last spoken to my love Ethan. So I headed there first.
The human smiled as I dropped in through his open skylight, and greeted me affectionately, and I returned the embrace. When we separated, I looked soulfully at him. Ethan looked concerned. "What is it, my angel?" He asked worriedly. I smiled at him. What a wonderful human he was!
But he knew what the situation was even before I spoke these truthfully simple words.
"It's time to find out."
As I touched down on the castle's courtyard again, this time accompanied by my love, I searched the premises. Predictable as always, neither Goliath or his clan, my former clan, were in sight. Perhaps they were lounged inside the boundaries of the castle itself. Ethan and I started towards the castle entrance, and went inside. I was not expecting to be re-accepted. I mean, inside my re-molded soul, I prayed to be welcomed back with my own kind, to dwell in the caring gargoyles that had been my life in Scotland a millennium ago.
But I also knew that after all I had done to them, every attack, every disruption, that I would have better odds of being hit by a stroke of lightning on an extremely sunny day.
I was not prepared for what I heard as I came closer to the core of the castle. Their voices came echoing down the corridor, their masculine tomes bouncing off the stone walls, and into my ears, where I could hear it all. They were having an argument. Very heated, from the indecisiveness in Goliath's voice. I also recognized the voice of Elisa, talking back to him soothingly yet firmly.
I stopped walking, and listened intently. Ethan looked at me, puzzled. Gargoyle ears were sharper then human ears, so he had not yet heard the voices that lingered nearby.
"Sssssshhh," I put a finger to my lips. Ethan stopped walking, and stood next to me, listening. Now that we were closer in proximity, he could hear the gargoyles conversing as well.
From the distance, I could hear Brooklyn remark "Why would we want her back? Are you forgetting that on more than one occasion, she has tried to annihilate us?"
That stung, but it was true. I could understand how Brooklyn felt.
Elisa responded. "You don't understand. I saw her last night. It's not a scheme. Demona has really and truly changed for the better. She wants atonement."
"She's faking," Brooklyn snapped, the hatred in his voice.
"She's not that good of an actress."
My daughter's voice, defending me. Standing by me, in the moment of what was possibly my most important mission in life. She had been betrayed by me, as well, but she did not house any hostility towards me, unlike the others.
I smiled at her, even though she could not see, since I was not in the room that she was in.
"The very concept of it is unthinkable," I heard Goliath rumble. "Demona has tried and failed to rejoin us many times in the past. She may perhaps have to try it a new way."
He couldn't have been more wrong. And now was the time to prove it.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Ethan demanded, grabbing my arm as I started towards the sounds of the voices.
I didn't look at him. "I am going to rejoin my clan." I deadpanned simply.
"You go out there, and they'll kill you!"
I said nothing, just yanked my arm away from Ethan angrily, and continued on. He stayed where he was, hesitant, almost afraid to meet the others. I looked at him. "You have nothing to fear from them."
Ethan disagreed. "I am an ex-quarryman. I was one of their enemies. They will crucify me, for that fact." I shook my head at him. He was wrong, and I explained this to him. "I know Goliath well enough," I told him. "He will not harbor a grudge over what you used to be. Besides, he would never hurt an innocent human."
Ethan still refused to budge. I snorted at him.
"Come with me, if you wish, Stay here, if you desire it. It is your prerogative." I walked away towards the others, and left him behind.
As I entered the room, the others looked up and saw me. Brooklyn's eyes burned almost instantly. "Demona!" he growled. I smiled at him, very friendly.
"Hello, Brooklyn," I greeted warmly. His glare faded somewhat in surprise, but did not leave his face. I stepped over to Goliath, and looked him in the face. "My former love."
Goliath nodded, more out of aggravation then respect. "My former angel."
I turned away from him, and faced the others. "I have something to say,' I began, ignoring the looks of suspicion that were cast in my direction. "Long ago, all of you were granite. Stone figures that had no life in you whatsoever. I was alone. Completely living in solitude. As time went on, I fell afoul of sorcery that changed my life forever, for it made me stronger. It made me immortal."
"We heard the sob story before," Brooklyn interrupted. "What's your game this time?"
"No game. No schemes. No lies. I've spent the last thousand and five years alone. I grow weary of it. I grow weary of the fugitive life. It is time to take my place amongst you once again. I ask you all to forget what I have done in the past, and to look inside yourselves, and judge the honest truth of my words. For we are still gargoyles, evil or not, betrayed or betrayer, forgiven or not, and we are all that is left of our kind. It would be a sin to spend the rest of my days alone, with no contact with my daughter, the only reminder of my days here, before you were stone figures for an entire millennium. I wish to rejoin you all, to prove myself, to redeem myself," I paused. "To better myself, from what I used to be."
No one spoke. Goliath looked uncertain.
"How do we know that you have reformed?" he questioned. "What proof do you bring that you have changed forever?"
"She brought me."
Everyone looked up to see Ethan, standing there, almost defiantly.
I smiled at Goliath, who returned his gaze to me. "You see, goliath, in the old days, you know very well that I despised humans, that I hunted them, that I longed for the stench of human corpses to enrich the planet. But I am no longer hateful towards humanity." I looked at Ethan, and took his arm. "This is my proof, for in him I have finally discovered that not all humanity is evil, that not all humans would destroy us." I lifted my gaze to Ethan's. "For in him, I have found a true mate."
Everyone looked stunned at that, even Brooklyn. For a long time, everyone watched us. Goliath's voice finally broke the silence in the distilled air.
"Give us a moment to confer about this." He drew the rest of the clan in a huddle, a quiet group discussion about the choice that had laid itself intravenously before them. Finally, after several minutes of whispering, they all turned back to face me, and Goliath extended his claws toward me.
"Welcome back to our clan, Demona."
At that very second, my heart leaped. At last! The moment I had waited for! I was reunited with my clan! I was with my loved ones once again! I took Goliath's talon, and shook it. Goliath swerved it in Ethan's direction.
"You are in our clan, as well, human. Demona has chosen you for a mate, and I know full well that humans and Gargoyles must live side by side. Accepting another human as one of us is the next step. Welcome."
Ethan smiled warmly, and gripped the purple talon tightly, shaking it.
I smiled. At long last I had someone to care for, and I was back with my clan. My family. Brooklyn, I knew, would have a problem with it, but I knew over time, if I played my cards right, he would change his mind about me, as would Lexington and Broadway, all of whom kept staring at me suspiciously, waiting for me to make the wrong move.
But it would never happen again. Not with me.
IN THE NEXT CHAPTER...Demona and Ethan are welcomed back in the clan, but when something no one could have predicted happens, what will the Wyvern Clan do about it? And what does it have to do with Titania? Find out in the exciting installment of "Changes"
By Jake Denton (kingcobra49036@yahoo.com)
CHAPTER 2 - Goliath's Choice
The next evening, as soon as the sun went down, and I was home recuperating from my nightly transformation, I decided to go for a glide. It was such a beautifully luxurious night, and I was discontent. It had been a few days since I had last spoken to my love Ethan. So I headed there first.
The human smiled as I dropped in through his open skylight, and greeted me affectionately, and I returned the embrace. When we separated, I looked soulfully at him. Ethan looked concerned. "What is it, my angel?" He asked worriedly. I smiled at him. What a wonderful human he was!
But he knew what the situation was even before I spoke these truthfully simple words.
"It's time to find out."
As I touched down on the castle's courtyard again, this time accompanied by my love, I searched the premises. Predictable as always, neither Goliath or his clan, my former clan, were in sight. Perhaps they were lounged inside the boundaries of the castle itself. Ethan and I started towards the castle entrance, and went inside. I was not expecting to be re-accepted. I mean, inside my re-molded soul, I prayed to be welcomed back with my own kind, to dwell in the caring gargoyles that had been my life in Scotland a millennium ago.
But I also knew that after all I had done to them, every attack, every disruption, that I would have better odds of being hit by a stroke of lightning on an extremely sunny day.
I was not prepared for what I heard as I came closer to the core of the castle. Their voices came echoing down the corridor, their masculine tomes bouncing off the stone walls, and into my ears, where I could hear it all. They were having an argument. Very heated, from the indecisiveness in Goliath's voice. I also recognized the voice of Elisa, talking back to him soothingly yet firmly.
I stopped walking, and listened intently. Ethan looked at me, puzzled. Gargoyle ears were sharper then human ears, so he had not yet heard the voices that lingered nearby.
"Sssssshhh," I put a finger to my lips. Ethan stopped walking, and stood next to me, listening. Now that we were closer in proximity, he could hear the gargoyles conversing as well.
From the distance, I could hear Brooklyn remark "Why would we want her back? Are you forgetting that on more than one occasion, she has tried to annihilate us?"
That stung, but it was true. I could understand how Brooklyn felt.
Elisa responded. "You don't understand. I saw her last night. It's not a scheme. Demona has really and truly changed for the better. She wants atonement."
"She's faking," Brooklyn snapped, the hatred in his voice.
"She's not that good of an actress."
My daughter's voice, defending me. Standing by me, in the moment of what was possibly my most important mission in life. She had been betrayed by me, as well, but she did not house any hostility towards me, unlike the others.
I smiled at her, even though she could not see, since I was not in the room that she was in.
"The very concept of it is unthinkable," I heard Goliath rumble. "Demona has tried and failed to rejoin us many times in the past. She may perhaps have to try it a new way."
He couldn't have been more wrong. And now was the time to prove it.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Ethan demanded, grabbing my arm as I started towards the sounds of the voices.
I didn't look at him. "I am going to rejoin my clan." I deadpanned simply.
"You go out there, and they'll kill you!"
I said nothing, just yanked my arm away from Ethan angrily, and continued on. He stayed where he was, hesitant, almost afraid to meet the others. I looked at him. "You have nothing to fear from them."
Ethan disagreed. "I am an ex-quarryman. I was one of their enemies. They will crucify me, for that fact." I shook my head at him. He was wrong, and I explained this to him. "I know Goliath well enough," I told him. "He will not harbor a grudge over what you used to be. Besides, he would never hurt an innocent human."
Ethan still refused to budge. I snorted at him.
"Come with me, if you wish, Stay here, if you desire it. It is your prerogative." I walked away towards the others, and left him behind.
As I entered the room, the others looked up and saw me. Brooklyn's eyes burned almost instantly. "Demona!" he growled. I smiled at him, very friendly.
"Hello, Brooklyn," I greeted warmly. His glare faded somewhat in surprise, but did not leave his face. I stepped over to Goliath, and looked him in the face. "My former love."
Goliath nodded, more out of aggravation then respect. "My former angel."
I turned away from him, and faced the others. "I have something to say,' I began, ignoring the looks of suspicion that were cast in my direction. "Long ago, all of you were granite. Stone figures that had no life in you whatsoever. I was alone. Completely living in solitude. As time went on, I fell afoul of sorcery that changed my life forever, for it made me stronger. It made me immortal."
"We heard the sob story before," Brooklyn interrupted. "What's your game this time?"
"No game. No schemes. No lies. I've spent the last thousand and five years alone. I grow weary of it. I grow weary of the fugitive life. It is time to take my place amongst you once again. I ask you all to forget what I have done in the past, and to look inside yourselves, and judge the honest truth of my words. For we are still gargoyles, evil or not, betrayed or betrayer, forgiven or not, and we are all that is left of our kind. It would be a sin to spend the rest of my days alone, with no contact with my daughter, the only reminder of my days here, before you were stone figures for an entire millennium. I wish to rejoin you all, to prove myself, to redeem myself," I paused. "To better myself, from what I used to be."
No one spoke. Goliath looked uncertain.
"How do we know that you have reformed?" he questioned. "What proof do you bring that you have changed forever?"
"She brought me."
Everyone looked up to see Ethan, standing there, almost defiantly.
I smiled at Goliath, who returned his gaze to me. "You see, goliath, in the old days, you know very well that I despised humans, that I hunted them, that I longed for the stench of human corpses to enrich the planet. But I am no longer hateful towards humanity." I looked at Ethan, and took his arm. "This is my proof, for in him I have finally discovered that not all humanity is evil, that not all humans would destroy us." I lifted my gaze to Ethan's. "For in him, I have found a true mate."
Everyone looked stunned at that, even Brooklyn. For a long time, everyone watched us. Goliath's voice finally broke the silence in the distilled air.
"Give us a moment to confer about this." He drew the rest of the clan in a huddle, a quiet group discussion about the choice that had laid itself intravenously before them. Finally, after several minutes of whispering, they all turned back to face me, and Goliath extended his claws toward me.
"Welcome back to our clan, Demona."
At that very second, my heart leaped. At last! The moment I had waited for! I was reunited with my clan! I was with my loved ones once again! I took Goliath's talon, and shook it. Goliath swerved it in Ethan's direction.
"You are in our clan, as well, human. Demona has chosen you for a mate, and I know full well that humans and Gargoyles must live side by side. Accepting another human as one of us is the next step. Welcome."
Ethan smiled warmly, and gripped the purple talon tightly, shaking it.
I smiled. At long last I had someone to care for, and I was back with my clan. My family. Brooklyn, I knew, would have a problem with it, but I knew over time, if I played my cards right, he would change his mind about me, as would Lexington and Broadway, all of whom kept staring at me suspiciously, waiting for me to make the wrong move.
But it would never happen again. Not with me.
IN THE NEXT CHAPTER...Demona and Ethan are welcomed back in the clan, but when something no one could have predicted happens, what will the Wyvern Clan do about it? And what does it have to do with Titania? Find out in the exciting installment of "Changes"