Another morning came. Brooklyn felt somewhat better but still had a headache. He grunted weakly; mouth so cramped from his muzzle when he struggled to adjust his surroundings.

The door opened then, making Brook tremble quietly as his master came in, a triumphant smirk there on his face.

Brooklyn looked down, ears flattened in sadness from his experience yesterday, Anthony kneeling to hold up his chin.

"You seem better but still weak it seems, my sweet thing." Brooklyn wanted to gag from that. "I shall let you recover until you get your stitches out. But tell me; are you willing to keep obeying me like you did before?"

The red male tensed weakly in disgust. He shut his eyes, shaking his head no and whimpering. Anthony growled, lightly slapping him. "Such a disobedient little pet you are! I am sure you will give in sooner or later!" he threatened. Brook glowered. I'll never be your pet! He shouted angrily inside. Anthony wanted to hurt him again but decided no. Not yet anyway.

"We'll attend to your stitches in a few more days, which would give you plenty of time to reconsider." growled Anthony before he left. Brooklyn flinched when his cell door closed.

What is going to be my plan after I get these stitches out? Brook asked himself. He needed a very good plan to do it, but what?

Then something came. It made him frown but Brooklyn knew it was the only way. He had to pretend to be submissive. Brooklyn nodded. That was what he was gonna do. He would use his smarts to escape this.

….

As Anthony promised, they were going to remove Brooklyn's stitches after four days. Brooklyn was nervous when they arrived. Anthony came to him slowly.

"Now Diablo… you must behave, or your stitches will get infected. Surely, you don't want this to happen, hm?" Brooklyn's ears flattened from hearing that name again. He often felt afraid that since he hadn't heard anyone else call him by his true one in so long Brook may end up forgetting it. He gave a little muffled cry, burying his head into his legs.

Anthony growled. "Sedate him, but not much. I don't wish for him to be asleep. He needs to watch this," he ordered. His men nodded, one of them pulling out a syringe and sticking it into Brooklyn's bicep. Brook whimpered in pain before feeling the drug getting hold of him. He didn't go black, but his body felt useless and limp. They placed him on a gurney and took him to the exam room.

Thomas went to work into taking the stitches out. Brooklyn shut his eyes, anxious for it to be over while Anthony smirked at watching his pet be helpless again. It was only about ten minutes before the stitches were out and the scars were cleaned up. There would still be some scabbing for a bit but those were minor. Brooklyn lay there, unable to do anything while Anthony stroked under his beak.

"Good boy, Diablo. It is much nicer when you cooperate, isn't it?" he asked mockingly. Brooklyn could only growl weakly in response. Anthony noted him still being resistant.

"Take my Diablo back to his cell until he is ready to obey me!" He spat to his men, who placed Brook on a gurney and wheeled him back. Brooklyn knew he would have taken action at this moment, but it still wasn't the right time. He had to wait until he was strong.

They pushed him harshly to the ground against the wall, cuffing his neck and hands again before leaving him alone. Brooklyn was glad now that the stitches were out. He didn't want to worry about them while escaping. Anxiousness for escaping kept him sane while he snuggled against the wall after his medicine wore off, knowing he needed to rest before his big break out.

….

Brooklyn opened his eyes the following day. He knew this was it now. He had to put on a good game face to have them let him go outside. He heard his cell door unlocking; Anthony coming in as usual, a dark frown on his face. The red male swallowed. I gotta be brave. For my family. I have to succeed… he thought silently to himself, shaking a bit.

Anthony lifted his chin again. "So, any change of heart at all?" he asked in his honey-coated tone. Swallowing again, Brooklyn began. He started with making his eyes as submissive as they could to not arouse suspicion. The man was a bit surprised but pleased.

"Hm, a bit better, my pet. But what about telling me?" He took the muzzle off, only for a minute. Brooklyn flexed his jaw muscles.

"I-I can't fight anymore; I do still want you as my master. I will keep obeying your orders…" Brooklyn said croakily, ears flattened in false submission, gazing down.

Anthony nodded. "Very good. I knew you would come to your senses. But sadly, you will still need your muzzle. I trust you understand? It is your protocol as my pet."

Brooklyn nodded. "Yes. I understand." He said, hugging his arms. Anthony stroked his shoulder. "Good Diablo. And since you've obeyed me, I shall remove those heavy duty cuffs as a reward. And I'm sure too you'd like to see the sun again?"

The young male nodded eagerly. "Yes, Master. Please." he said. Anthony smiled. "I knew you would. Your muzzle unfortunately has to go back on when you go out. Understood?" Brooklyn was disappointed at that but he nodded again. "Yes." He murmured, feeling it come back on him again, as well as putting on the lighter handcuffs.

After that the men guided Brooklyn outside. Brooklyn spotted a pile of hay bales from his sight, knowing that would be his starting point.

They were about halfway to the tree where they would tie him up again when the red gargoyle now saw his chance to implement his plan. Anthony wasn't with them right now, just the two guards.

The men had heard that Diablo was going to submit to them finally and were guiding him. It took them totally by surprise when Brooklyn growled his defiance against them and he began to fight them. He pulled his cuffs out of their hands and then he punched one in the stomach while using his tail to slap the other in the face, knocking him down. The one he punched in the belly was moaning then Brook got him in the face, putting him unconscious.

Brooklyn then used his strength to snap the chains in two on the cuffs since they weren't so heavy duty on him. He would get them off later, but he had to get away right now or he wasn't going anywhere. He took off for the hay bales on all fours.

The other man that had only been knocked down was now getting up. That gargoyle was going to pay for his betrayal. He took out his gun out of his holster.

Brooklyn had made it to the bales and he got to the highest point and he opened his wings and jumped off, catching the updraft. He had to get away. Then, there were gunshots fired on him.

He gasped as one just narrowly missed his left leg. He looked back but kept moving, trying to make himself get away faster and higher. He flapped his wings to get more lift.

"Get back here, you monster!" The guard yelled after him. Like Brooklyn was going to go back to that insult. The man then fired his gun two more times at him.

The first missed him but the second bullet then got Brooklyn in the left side of his stomach. "AAAUUUGHH!" He screamed in pain though it was muffled by the muzzle.

The guard was pleased that he got the gargoyle. But it would mean he would fall too.

Brooklyn wanted to keep going. He couldn't falter now. He instantly put both his hands to his stomach to stem the flow of blood. He had been shot in the lower belly. But he wouldn't be able to glide for long. For now, he had enough adrenaline to keep going and get away.

The guard was shocked that the gargoyle didn't fall but kept flying away. He called the boss and Anthony made his way out of the house. "What's going on? Where's Diablo?" he demanded to know.

"He was playing possum, Boss. He let us lead him out here, then he fought us and he got away." The guard explained. "There he goes now. He's wounded."

Anthony saw the gargoyle's retreating form. "Not to worry. We'll track him down. He won't get away from us and we'll make him pay." He said sinisterly.

…..

Brooklyn tried to keep gliding for as long as he could. He moaned from the pain he was feeling in his stomach. Just what he didn't need, a new belly injury.

He flew for a few miles. He wanted to get as far away from Anthony's ranch as he could. He managed to make it past his ranch and few more miles away and into open forest. Then there was another clearing for another ranch area not far away. The pain he was beginning to feel was making him to have to land.

He went to go make a landing and try to find something that could stop the blood flow from his wound. His hands could only do so much anymore. As he got lower to the ground, his vision blacked out for a moment and he ended up crashing into the ground instead. He felt the impact. He landed on his good side.

The young male grunted from the pain but couldn't open his mouth. He laid there trying to catch his breath. He was in deep pain once again. He made his hands clutch at the wound in his belly. The bullet would need removing. He was lucky to be alive at this point.

Brooklyn remembered when Elisa had been shot. He had heard the story of how long surgery was for her and what a bullet had done to her. He had also been shot in the stomach before but from an electrical gun and it hadn't made a wound like this on him then. His skin was usually thick enough to protect him, but the bullet had made contact and could do some serious damage inside him.

He bared his side teeth in pain. He had to get help and get something to stop the bleeding. Brooklyn was now feeling the adrenaline wear off and he was feeling the pain inside him.

His vision managed to pick up a barn a short distance away. He had to get up and get there. Brook tried to get to his feet but the pain made him stay on the ground, whimpering. He was losing blood. He had to get there despite his pain.

Using his talons, he began to pull himself along on the ground, making sure to not damage his wings. Then a thought occurred to him. Brook pushed himself up and then raising his left arm, like when he had ridden the motorcycle so long ago, he put his left wing around his waist, and did the same with his right wing to have double pressure on his stomach wound. It was hurting to breathe at this point.

Brooklyn then fell back to the ground, wincing. He took several deep breathes and began pulling himself again across the ground to the barn. He managed to make it and he used his talons to pull himself up off the ground when he had a grip on the wall.

He was very weak but was going to make it. He saw the open part to the door and he found the latch on it when he was standing up. He got the door open and he fell into the barn on some straw. He grunted in pain. There were square bales of hay in there too. It was a hay storage area.

Through his blurred vision, he saw a blanket on a fence in the stall he was in. He had to get that blanket. Pulling himself again, and he also heard some whinnies from elsewhere in there from some horses, he pulled himself to the fence and he yanked on the blanket, getting it down from there. He sat against the wall and getting his wings off the wound, he was finally able to wrap the blanket around his middle to stop the bleeding.

Oh, it hurts! Brooklyn cried in his mind. But it wasn't long before he couldn't take the pain anymore and he collapsed in the straw from the pain. He had no idea what would happen to him after that. He hoped that Anthony wouldn't find him here or that anyone else would find and kill him.

Brooklyn lay limply and tiredly on the straw, feeling ready to pass out but was willing to welcome it since he needed to rest anyway. All that mattered at the moment was that he escaped and was free. He fainted there now from blood loss with that last comforting thought.

Brooklyn is finally free! But will anyone help his injury?

(P.S. missed a sentence but it should look better now. Didn't highlight the whole thing.)