Changes, Chapter 5: New Addition To The Clan
By Jake Denton (kingcobra49036@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: Okay, here's the basics that you'll see in any GARGOYLES fan fic: They do not belong to me, I am not making any profit off of this other then the enjoyment of exciting my readers with another chapter. Ethan Mueller/Kain is a fragment of my own creative imagination, and this original addition to the fictional GARGOYLES universe should NEVER be used without permission. If any one of you people out there on the World Wide Web does steal him, I swear on my grandmother's sacred grave that I will do bad things to you in my future stories.
Author's Note: I am having a crappy day. If anyone wants to flame, go ahead, but be gentle about it or I will unleash the fiery hounds of hell on you to rip out your soul and shit on you as your sorry existence is reverted into the eternal pits of hellfire, where you will become a wienie roast for all eternity while Satan pokes you with his pitchfork and the demons rip out your heart and have a feast!!!! (pant pant) Okay, I'm done raving like a lunatic now.
Manhattan, 2002
Ethan stared at his horrifying reflection, unable to believe the physics of this incident. The human Ethan Mueller was gone, and in his place stood a monster. A Gargoyle. How was this humanly possible? One minute to be human, and the next to be something that would be alive at night, a scary-looking creature that had claws and wings? Ethan started to panic. He paced around his apartment, trying to get his screaming mind under control. What little wits he had at the moment needed to be re-gathered.
~Steady, Ethan. Remain calm...~
That was the key. He needed to remain as composed and cool as possible. He tried to make himself feel better by thinking about something else. Anything else. His days as a Quarryman. His job at the video store. His clan--NO NO NO NO!
Everything reminded him of his current situation, because everything that he had had in his life, he knew that it was all gone. He had no family, save the other gargoyles, that would accept and love him. Being a Gargoyle, he could not have rejoined the Quarrymen. Not that he'd wanted to, anyway, though.
And his job?
Ethan knew that as accepted as Gargoyles were in Manhattan, his boss would not allow him to work as long as he was one of them. It would risk scaring customers, and the video store might lose business. It would not be good business management, to allow a "freak" and "monster" to serve people with videos and/or DVDs. So, he could kiss that good-bye as well.
So what was there for him now?
Well, there was Demona and Goliath, as well as the rest of their clan. But Ethan didn't know what they would say. How could he possibly explain his metamorphosis to a quietly distempered being like Goliath? How would the massive clan leader accept him after this? He probably wouldn't. Or, if he did, it would be with much difficulty.
Ethan could not believe what his life was becoming. First Immortality, now this? Why was this happening to him? Was it because of his close link to the Manhattan Clan?
He did not want to even ponder that possibility, but something hidden in his soul, almost like a sixth sense, told him yes. That was exactly the reason for his current changes. But, if that was true, then that meant there was a reason for all this. Some inevitable section of his fate that would require his newly-installed Gargoyles instincts and keen sense of warrior combat that suddenly had kicked in upon the change.
Something was coming.
He could feel that now, deep in his soul. Something very dangerous, an event that would change his clan forever, was on its' way. And there was not any pit stops to avert it.
But, while Ethan suddenly knew this, he knew not what it was or when or why it would come. All he could feel was that a life-altering experience was coming. It was coming for him, and the rest of the clan. But that was all he knew of it. And his clan needed to be warned, so that they would be better prepared for what was about to happen.
Ethan strolled quickly to his window, and hesitated. He had never flown before, at least not with his own wings. What if he fell? Then he cursed himself on his fear. He was struck by the feeling that with these wings, he would be all right.
Far below, on the streets of Manhattan, hardly anyone paid vivid attention to the silhouette that leaped out the window, and soared, his wings carrying him in the direction of the Eyrie Building.
************************************************************************
Goliath roared, stretching his muscular frame, as his stone skin shattered and flew all over the castle tower, fragments that now littered the stone floor. Beneath him, the gargantuan warrior could hear his clan come to life, their yawning growls and cracking stone playing a melancholy in his lavender ears. Another night for him meant a new night of hope and compromises, and Goliath acknowledged this mentally as he gathered them all and they went on patrol.
Flying over the city, the wind firmly holding them up in the evening atmosphere, Goliath pondered silently, still thinking of what to do about his new human charge, Ethan. What role would the youth play in his clan? Perhaps Goliath could make Ethan a spy, keeping a close eye on the Quarryman activities and reporting back to the clan with news.
But he did not yet know of the extraordinary occurrences that had befallen the ex-quarrymen yet, nor did he fathom the changes that were coming.
Brooklyn yanked Goliath out of his thoughts about Ethan's responsibility in the clan to ask "What is that?"
Goliath looked in the direction that his second was pointing, and he could make a dark shape gliding towards them. He squinted his eyes at the gargoyle, which was too far away to make out an identification too clearly. The fact that it was nighttime and the moon was hidden behind clouds did not help matters, either.
"I do not know. Perhaps it is one of the clones?"
Goliath motioned to his clan to land on the nearest roof, and the stranger did likewise.
Once they were all landed, Goliath peered curiously at the strange creature before him. Yes, it was one of his kind, but it was not one of the clones. This new Gargoyle seemed to be just that: New. To this area, at least. Goliath felt something familiar about this gargoyle, yet he knew they had never met before. The gray-skinned rogue looked at him, eyes peering curiously at the leader from behind his large Brooklyn-like beak, that blackish-red hair falling in his face. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before the newcomer spoke.
"G-Goliath?"
His jaw dropped in shock. How did the strange gargoyle know his name?
He spoke this question aloud, and the gargoyle looked at him, a sad acceptance formulating on his face. "It's me. Ethan."
Goliath narrowed his eyes, suspiciously conveying the being that was kneeling before him. "Ethan?"
"It's a trick," Brooklyn's voice cut in. "One of Sevarius' doings. Or Thailog's."
Demona glared at him. "Thailog could have not survived to make another gargoyle. I would know if he still lived. I destroyed him myself. As for Sevarius, I would know if he involved in any DNA splicing, remember?"
Brooklyn remained silent, recalling the time that Sevarius had created the clones. The police had somehow found a link to Sevarius and he had been arrested in the aftermath of the carnival burning down, released only to the supervision of Dominique Destine to work at her company, which gave Demona, or "Dominique" full knowledge of his activities.
Goliath frowned at the Gargoyle, which appeared to be physically drained. "How is this possible, Ethan?" His question mirrored Ethan's thoughts. The Gargoyle stood slowly, getting to his feet, and looking Goliath in the face as much as he could.
"Ethan was human, Goliath. Since I am not human, I am no longer Ethan either." He paused. "I wish to be known as Kain."
Goliath looked startled at that, and he glanced at his clanners before fixing his unblinking gaze on Kain, staring at him intently for several seconds. It was almost as if he was staring into Kain's soul, peering into his mental dwellings. Seeing into his thoughts. It creeped Kain out, but he stood his ground.
Finally Goliath spoke, sounding convinced. "It is him."
Kain sighed in relief as the clan fixed their eyes on him. Demona came forward, sizing his new form up, and embraced him gently, burying her forehead in his chest. "My love," she breathed. "You are one of us now."
The clan spoke excited agreements, rushing forward to greet their new addition. For the moment, Ethan felt at home, truly at home, where he belonged. Then he remembered the feelings of imminent doom and he pulled away. Lex stared at him blankly, as did the others.
"What's wrong?"
There's...something I need to tell you guys about."
"Speak," Goliath commanded, his voice showing the impatience that he so clearly felt.
Kain paused before speaking. Where to begin? He decided being blunt was his best option.
"Something is coming. Something...evil." Ethan responded. "Though I do not know what it is."
The clan looked startled. But before they ask him any questions, they were interrupted by a feminine voice, the voice that had haunted Ethan's dream the night before, the voice that had made him into...this.
They all turned as one and saw the woman there, her silk robes flowing as she smiled arrogantly at the bewildered Gargoyles. Kain gave a start. It was the same woman that had been in his dream two nights before, when he had turned into a Gargoyle!
"Titania," Goliath whispered. Kain was amazed. Even the large Gargoyle seemed to be in awe of her. Which mean that she must've been some extremely powerful figure in their lives. Ethan/Kain wondered what the deal was.
"You know her?"
The queen of Avalon heard Kain's inquiry and smiled pessimistically at him. "I am called Titania, queen of the fey, ruler of the third race of the island of Avalon. You are a special one, Ethan." She paused, letting her words sink in, then added. "Kain."
"How did you know my name?"
Titania smiled again, but the warmth was gone. She looked at him steely, and the newly human-turned-gargoyle shuddered, am shred of fear shooting its' way across his spine like a bullet.
"Because, young though you are, whichever you may be, Ethan or Kain, you are still a powerful force in this generation." She smiled craftily. "Perhaps you will still be an important element in the next as well."
"Why?" Kain responded, suddenly feeling agitated, sick of this woman's mysterious riddles. So she ruled a bunch of fairies. So what? His life had been going fine until she had came in and interfered. What gave her the right to meddle in the affairs of whom used to mortal? Both mortal AND human? Absolutely nothing.
"A war is coming, my youth," she answered, keeping his voice as silky as her garments. "You are a major part in this war. The live of a thousand clans will depend on you." She started to fade away. "Do not fail. For if you die, your entire species will die."
"The humans?" Kain spontaneously blurted, forgetting his new body for a second.
"No..." Titania looked away, hiding her guilt. Or was it disappointment? "Gargoyles. They will simply cease to be, just as the dinosaurs were several millennia ago."
With that, Titania was gone, leaving Kain, Goliath, and the others to ponder what to do next...
To Be Continued...
(kingcobra49036@yahoo.com)
By Jake Denton (kingcobra49036@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: Okay, here's the basics that you'll see in any GARGOYLES fan fic: They do not belong to me, I am not making any profit off of this other then the enjoyment of exciting my readers with another chapter. Ethan Mueller/Kain is a fragment of my own creative imagination, and this original addition to the fictional GARGOYLES universe should NEVER be used without permission. If any one of you people out there on the World Wide Web does steal him, I swear on my grandmother's sacred grave that I will do bad things to you in my future stories.
Author's Note: I am having a crappy day. If anyone wants to flame, go ahead, but be gentle about it or I will unleash the fiery hounds of hell on you to rip out your soul and shit on you as your sorry existence is reverted into the eternal pits of hellfire, where you will become a wienie roast for all eternity while Satan pokes you with his pitchfork and the demons rip out your heart and have a feast!!!! (pant pant) Okay, I'm done raving like a lunatic now.
Manhattan, 2002
Ethan stared at his horrifying reflection, unable to believe the physics of this incident. The human Ethan Mueller was gone, and in his place stood a monster. A Gargoyle. How was this humanly possible? One minute to be human, and the next to be something that would be alive at night, a scary-looking creature that had claws and wings? Ethan started to panic. He paced around his apartment, trying to get his screaming mind under control. What little wits he had at the moment needed to be re-gathered.
~Steady, Ethan. Remain calm...~
That was the key. He needed to remain as composed and cool as possible. He tried to make himself feel better by thinking about something else. Anything else. His days as a Quarryman. His job at the video store. His clan--NO NO NO NO!
Everything reminded him of his current situation, because everything that he had had in his life, he knew that it was all gone. He had no family, save the other gargoyles, that would accept and love him. Being a Gargoyle, he could not have rejoined the Quarrymen. Not that he'd wanted to, anyway, though.
And his job?
Ethan knew that as accepted as Gargoyles were in Manhattan, his boss would not allow him to work as long as he was one of them. It would risk scaring customers, and the video store might lose business. It would not be good business management, to allow a "freak" and "monster" to serve people with videos and/or DVDs. So, he could kiss that good-bye as well.
So what was there for him now?
Well, there was Demona and Goliath, as well as the rest of their clan. But Ethan didn't know what they would say. How could he possibly explain his metamorphosis to a quietly distempered being like Goliath? How would the massive clan leader accept him after this? He probably wouldn't. Or, if he did, it would be with much difficulty.
Ethan could not believe what his life was becoming. First Immortality, now this? Why was this happening to him? Was it because of his close link to the Manhattan Clan?
He did not want to even ponder that possibility, but something hidden in his soul, almost like a sixth sense, told him yes. That was exactly the reason for his current changes. But, if that was true, then that meant there was a reason for all this. Some inevitable section of his fate that would require his newly-installed Gargoyles instincts and keen sense of warrior combat that suddenly had kicked in upon the change.
Something was coming.
He could feel that now, deep in his soul. Something very dangerous, an event that would change his clan forever, was on its' way. And there was not any pit stops to avert it.
But, while Ethan suddenly knew this, he knew not what it was or when or why it would come. All he could feel was that a life-altering experience was coming. It was coming for him, and the rest of the clan. But that was all he knew of it. And his clan needed to be warned, so that they would be better prepared for what was about to happen.
Ethan strolled quickly to his window, and hesitated. He had never flown before, at least not with his own wings. What if he fell? Then he cursed himself on his fear. He was struck by the feeling that with these wings, he would be all right.
Far below, on the streets of Manhattan, hardly anyone paid vivid attention to the silhouette that leaped out the window, and soared, his wings carrying him in the direction of the Eyrie Building.
************************************************************************
Goliath roared, stretching his muscular frame, as his stone skin shattered and flew all over the castle tower, fragments that now littered the stone floor. Beneath him, the gargantuan warrior could hear his clan come to life, their yawning growls and cracking stone playing a melancholy in his lavender ears. Another night for him meant a new night of hope and compromises, and Goliath acknowledged this mentally as he gathered them all and they went on patrol.
Flying over the city, the wind firmly holding them up in the evening atmosphere, Goliath pondered silently, still thinking of what to do about his new human charge, Ethan. What role would the youth play in his clan? Perhaps Goliath could make Ethan a spy, keeping a close eye on the Quarryman activities and reporting back to the clan with news.
But he did not yet know of the extraordinary occurrences that had befallen the ex-quarrymen yet, nor did he fathom the changes that were coming.
Brooklyn yanked Goliath out of his thoughts about Ethan's responsibility in the clan to ask "What is that?"
Goliath looked in the direction that his second was pointing, and he could make a dark shape gliding towards them. He squinted his eyes at the gargoyle, which was too far away to make out an identification too clearly. The fact that it was nighttime and the moon was hidden behind clouds did not help matters, either.
"I do not know. Perhaps it is one of the clones?"
Goliath motioned to his clan to land on the nearest roof, and the stranger did likewise.
Once they were all landed, Goliath peered curiously at the strange creature before him. Yes, it was one of his kind, but it was not one of the clones. This new Gargoyle seemed to be just that: New. To this area, at least. Goliath felt something familiar about this gargoyle, yet he knew they had never met before. The gray-skinned rogue looked at him, eyes peering curiously at the leader from behind his large Brooklyn-like beak, that blackish-red hair falling in his face. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before the newcomer spoke.
"G-Goliath?"
His jaw dropped in shock. How did the strange gargoyle know his name?
He spoke this question aloud, and the gargoyle looked at him, a sad acceptance formulating on his face. "It's me. Ethan."
Goliath narrowed his eyes, suspiciously conveying the being that was kneeling before him. "Ethan?"
"It's a trick," Brooklyn's voice cut in. "One of Sevarius' doings. Or Thailog's."
Demona glared at him. "Thailog could have not survived to make another gargoyle. I would know if he still lived. I destroyed him myself. As for Sevarius, I would know if he involved in any DNA splicing, remember?"
Brooklyn remained silent, recalling the time that Sevarius had created the clones. The police had somehow found a link to Sevarius and he had been arrested in the aftermath of the carnival burning down, released only to the supervision of Dominique Destine to work at her company, which gave Demona, or "Dominique" full knowledge of his activities.
Goliath frowned at the Gargoyle, which appeared to be physically drained. "How is this possible, Ethan?" His question mirrored Ethan's thoughts. The Gargoyle stood slowly, getting to his feet, and looking Goliath in the face as much as he could.
"Ethan was human, Goliath. Since I am not human, I am no longer Ethan either." He paused. "I wish to be known as Kain."
Goliath looked startled at that, and he glanced at his clanners before fixing his unblinking gaze on Kain, staring at him intently for several seconds. It was almost as if he was staring into Kain's soul, peering into his mental dwellings. Seeing into his thoughts. It creeped Kain out, but he stood his ground.
Finally Goliath spoke, sounding convinced. "It is him."
Kain sighed in relief as the clan fixed their eyes on him. Demona came forward, sizing his new form up, and embraced him gently, burying her forehead in his chest. "My love," she breathed. "You are one of us now."
The clan spoke excited agreements, rushing forward to greet their new addition. For the moment, Ethan felt at home, truly at home, where he belonged. Then he remembered the feelings of imminent doom and he pulled away. Lex stared at him blankly, as did the others.
"What's wrong?"
There's...something I need to tell you guys about."
"Speak," Goliath commanded, his voice showing the impatience that he so clearly felt.
Kain paused before speaking. Where to begin? He decided being blunt was his best option.
"Something is coming. Something...evil." Ethan responded. "Though I do not know what it is."
The clan looked startled. But before they ask him any questions, they were interrupted by a feminine voice, the voice that had haunted Ethan's dream the night before, the voice that had made him into...this.
They all turned as one and saw the woman there, her silk robes flowing as she smiled arrogantly at the bewildered Gargoyles. Kain gave a start. It was the same woman that had been in his dream two nights before, when he had turned into a Gargoyle!
"Titania," Goliath whispered. Kain was amazed. Even the large Gargoyle seemed to be in awe of her. Which mean that she must've been some extremely powerful figure in their lives. Ethan/Kain wondered what the deal was.
"You know her?"
The queen of Avalon heard Kain's inquiry and smiled pessimistically at him. "I am called Titania, queen of the fey, ruler of the third race of the island of Avalon. You are a special one, Ethan." She paused, letting her words sink in, then added. "Kain."
"How did you know my name?"
Titania smiled again, but the warmth was gone. She looked at him steely, and the newly human-turned-gargoyle shuddered, am shred of fear shooting its' way across his spine like a bullet.
"Because, young though you are, whichever you may be, Ethan or Kain, you are still a powerful force in this generation." She smiled craftily. "Perhaps you will still be an important element in the next as well."
"Why?" Kain responded, suddenly feeling agitated, sick of this woman's mysterious riddles. So she ruled a bunch of fairies. So what? His life had been going fine until she had came in and interfered. What gave her the right to meddle in the affairs of whom used to mortal? Both mortal AND human? Absolutely nothing.
"A war is coming, my youth," she answered, keeping his voice as silky as her garments. "You are a major part in this war. The live of a thousand clans will depend on you." She started to fade away. "Do not fail. For if you die, your entire species will die."
"The humans?" Kain spontaneously blurted, forgetting his new body for a second.
"No..." Titania looked away, hiding her guilt. Or was it disappointment? "Gargoyles. They will simply cease to be, just as the dinosaurs were several millennia ago."
With that, Titania was gone, leaving Kain, Goliath, and the others to ponder what to do next...
To Be Continued...
(kingcobra49036@yahoo.com)