God damit Brooklyn thought as Cordeila bolted down the street at a sprint. She was fast. Faster than a human. But not him. Or those fucking trucks full of hunters. Clawing into the side of a building he climbed up high enough that he could break into a glide. The streets were more narrow here and she was intentionally taking smaller and smaller ones. Trying to find a one way or an ally that the large military style vehicles wouldn't fit thought.
The hunters could still see her, he wasn't sure if they could see him flying over head. Soon she was going to run out of road. The end of Manhattan island was coming up soon. What is she going to do then? With a growl Brooklyn sped ahead and caught up with her.
"Come on, take my claw" He yelled down at her.
"Seriously fuck off! I know what I am doing!" She yelled as she huffed.
Brooklyn had to dodge and fly upward. They were shooting at the both of them now. She had no where else to go. So roaring in frustration he swooped low and scooped her up. Kicking and screaming at him.
"Put me down!" she yelled at him.
"No way sweetheart. I drop you you die, I leave you alone they catch up to you and you die. Then I will never hear the end of it!" Brooklyn roared at her in his arms.
He should have lowered his voice and not screamed in his ear because that just freaked her out and made her squirm worse.
"I am not your sweetheart and why on earth are you trying to carry me like this!" She snapped back at him.
Down below them the trucks full of hunters still followed. Slowly loosing ground to Brooklyn's speed.
"Carry you like what?" Brooklyn asked in confusion. He soared higher to make sure they were out of range.
"Like this" She answered gesturing to him holding her in his arms in front of him. A arm behind her back and the other under the bend of her knees.
"How am I suppose to carry you?" he said voice low with annoyance.
"Umm a piggy back ride like everyone else does?" Her turn now to be confused.
Brooklyn snorted and then broke out in a chuckle.
"What?" She asked. Not understanding why he was laughing.
"The rest of your clan carries you around like a hatchling?" Brooklyn asked. Not even trying to keep the amusement from his voice.
"How is that like a hatchling?" She spat in anger.
"That's how we teach babies to fly. They eventually learn to glide for a little and can still grab on if they need help" Brooklyn told her.
Cordelia scowled at him. Before reaching up to rub her eyes.
"There are a lot of differences between our kinds. No matter if you look just like Patrick and Collin" Cordelia explained.
"You obviously are different than them, what does that make you?" Brooklyn asked.
Cordelia jumped a little. Before turning red from embarrassment.
"We do not traditionally just ask that kind of question, especially out side of a clan gathering. Most of us already know who the other clans are. So it's pretty easy to guess if you know what family someone is from, where their parents and grandparents are from. But just asking a stranger exactly what they are... that is about the equivalent of asking to see one of us naked" she explained. Turing more red in the face. He could even feel her temperature rise through her jacket and jeans in the cold air.
Brooklyn soared higher with her again. Relieved that she was no longer hissing and screaming at him. He looked at her in question wondering what now.
"So where is home?" Brooklyn asked.
Cordelia did not reply. She did squirm uncomfortably.
"Uggh... Your apartment?" Brooklyn asked.
"NO. No. After our fight there I won't use that one again. You can just um drop me down where ever" Cordelia said quickly.
"Your leader or mate or whatever Patrick is will be pissed if I don't drop you off at home with the rest of your clan" Brooklyn replied in annoyance.
"I do not have a mate and I have zero plans of taking you home with me" Cordelia told him snappily.
He grunted at her words usage, he knew she didn't mean it. But it amused him.
"Just drop me off. Hell drop me in the river for all I care" She said turning her face away from him.
"I can fly around all night if you want to be stubborn" Brooklyn told her. His voice dropping as his temper rose again.
"Good luck with that. It will be dawn soon enough. You will have to land. And then I can go home on my own" Cordelia snapped at him.
"What is your fucking problem?" He snarled.
"Would you lead a stranger home to young-lings...particularly one that you fought with?" She retorted.
"Maybe not. But you know Im not going to hurt you or your... cousins right?" Brooklyn told her.
She turned her face back to him and arched an eyebrow at him.
"I'm sorry alright. We don't usually do..that. I wasn't expecting you to try and melt my arm off" He said with a sigh.
"I didn't scorch you that bad. Besides don't you guys heal in a few days?" She laughed.
Brooklyn now gave her a look without answering. He was going to say something about the scar when he heard something.
"Fuck" Brooklyn growled out.
Grabbing her tighter he drew in his wings and dived down. With no warning for the sudden change in altitude Cordelia squealed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and neck. Carefully not pinching or smashing his wings. He would have told her he appreciated that but he wanted to get out of sight. Now Cordelia could hear helicopter blades warring as well. Brooklyn dived again and landed on a rooftop with a old water tank and new air conditioning units. Both of them scooted back into the dark and leaned back into side of the tank.
"I take it that's not a police or a weather channel helicopter?" Cordelia whispered.
"No and its not one of Xanatos's either. The blades sound different." He answered quietly.
Both shrunk back further as it passed over head. Spot lights barely missing them. The hostility between each other diminishing with a far greater threat.
"If they are looking for us we can't lead them anywhere near either of our clans" She whispered again.
"You and I aren't taking a army of hunters with helicopters, we have to go get the rest of my clan" he growled.
"Speak for yourself" Cordelia hissed back.
Stepping foreword and pushing the sleeves of her jacket up she was about to draw a ball of fire up when Brooklyn stopped her. Wrapping both arms and then his wings around her. Pulling her back into the dark. He could feel her arms heat up slightly and she growled at him.
"Get your hands off me. I. do. not. like. it." Cordelia gritted out between her teeth.
"There are homes everywhere. If we start something with them right here they are going to hurt a whole lot of people" Brooklyn whispered to her. Another helicopter passed them by and Brooklyn drew his wing up higher to cover their faces from any of the light.
"So what the hell do you want to do?" She asked tensing as either the third or the first helicopter passed by them again.
Brooklyn was about to suggest them trying to sneak off when he got a glimpse of something, no someone. Fly by with one of the helicopters in pursuit.
"Isn't that one of the ones from your clan, The taller female?" Cordeila asked. Her tone of voice going from pissed at him to concerned and shrill.
"Angela wouldn't have gone out alone. Not without someone else." Brooklyn answered. "That's not her... we need to use this as a diversion to get out of here." He had a pretty good idea who that was. And he wanted no part in helping Demona any way what so ever.
She needs help" Cordeila demanded.
"You do not understand...ouffff!" Brooklyn grunted out.
Cordelia had elbowed him right in the stomach and took off running. She managed to make it to the edge of the roof, and climb up the side of the roof edge. Watching and waiting until the gargoyle winged by with the hunters in pursuit. With a ball of flame thrown in front of the hunters helicopter it disorientated them and caused them to pull up and away. Whoever the other gargoyle was they flew off heading as fast as possible away from the helicopter. Now both helicopters heading Northwest in the direction they must think they had gone.
Brooklyn snarled eyes lit up as he reached out and yanked Cordelia down from the edge dropping her down to her ass on the roof tiles. Then scooped her up and jumped from the roof edge taking off. Cordelia did not like that and was twisting and turning and trying to get into a better position to kick out of his arms. Finally managing to slip out of his grasp. She spun wildly before righting herself to try and land on her feet.
Brooklyn couldn't see her for a few seconds before he heard her hit a few awnings and land on the ground with a sickening crunch. He dove down in panic to see how badly she had hurt herself. She was still moving. When he reached to pull her up. He heard her mumble something.
"That was dumb. So dumb" Cordelia gritted out.
"Just hold still. Ill take you to your clan, or mine. Or a hospital. Shit, what do you witch things do" Brooklyn stammered out. Gulping he remembered what she had said the last time about not healing the same as him. That was directly before she kissed him. And how that would have ended up if she hadn't thrown him into a door.
Looking up at him she half rolled her eyes.
"We get up and walk it off" She said pushing him back from her before getting to her knees then her feet.
"You're kidding right? You plan on walking home? Did you land on your head" He bristled at her.
"No. I managed to do a quick spell to slow me down the last few feet before I hit the first awning I think. Or maybe the second. I'm not called a witch for nothing. Anyways I have been hurt so much worse than this and never had to even call Patrick to help me" She replied. But she didn't have the strength to argue with him. She wasn't about to tell him that, but still true.
Cordelia started walking off in the direction she had been heading when she left the castle. Brooklyn watching her for a few seconds. Running his claws through his white hair in frustration. Before reaching out and pantomiming grabbing and shaking her. He was considering just following her home and waiting till she got in but he paused to listen. Ahead of him she caught it too. The helicopters had apparently lost the other gargoyle and headed back after them.
"Are you going to throw a fit if I try and fly us out of here again?" He asked, his tone of voice frustrated and very done.
"Absolutely" Her reply, her voice amused. "But I would rather get burnt at the stake than have the hunters catch up with me. And you can fly and I can not, so..." She held her arms out, waiting for him to pick her up.
"At least your honest" Brooklyn told her scooping her back up. She hissed a little. He wasn't sure if it was from just him touching her or pain.
"Wait, I have to climb. Can you?" He didn't get the chance to finish. Cordelia got the idea and turning herself and grabbing him behind his shoulders. She held on around his neck with her arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. She most defiantly grew up with others that had wings and carried her when she couldn't go somewhere herself. Even Elisa was not as practiced with flying with one of them.
"Don't you dare laugh" she told him.
"Wouldn't dream of it..." He said. Clawing into a building and climbing quickly up the side. "Wee bairn" He muttered. Before reaching and swinging her into his arms and taking off from the roof.
"Not funny" Cordelia replied.
"You can understand that?" Brooklyn asked grinning.
She huffed and didn't reply. Which only made it more funny to him.
"Laugh now, but those hunters are catching up to us fast" Cordelia told him, looking over his shoulder behind them.
"Im going to head back to the castle. I don't know if I can out fly all of them though" He replied.
"We don't need to, can you swim?" She asked.
"Yes...?" he asked.
"Head south straight into the water." Cordelia told him.
Brooklyn was already heading higher, trying to stay out of range and sight of the hunters in the clouds. That was working until the second and third helicopters joined the first and caught sight of them. Shooting before they were in range. Brooklyn dogging and turning to stay that way.
"You are going to have to trust me. Dive into the water and we can lose them" She demanded.
"This is stupid I have wings, I am not the loch ness monster" He growled at her.
"Fine, Ill just make you, you stubborn gargoyle." Cordelia snapped.
Reaching up she yanked on his left wing, making them veer sharply. Their momentum causing them to drop so quickly he couldn't recover and they hit the water with a splash. Coming up sputtering in the water beside her the helicopters shot at them into the water. Both of them diving down to try and avoid being seen and hit. He wasn't sure how long she could hold her breath for. But probably not as long as him. She grabbed onto his arm pulling him close before clamping her other hand on his neck. Brooklyn struggling to get free and away from her and to the surface. He heard her say some water garbled words and then released him. He felt the strangest sensation and then suddenly he wasn't chocking for air. He was going to panic and pull up when he heard her scream. Under water it came bubbly and far away sounding.
Cordelia grabbed him again then tugging, She wanted him to swim after her. The lesser of two evils he did. They broke the surface miles away and started dragging themselves out of the water. When Brooklyn hit the air he coughed and gagged for a second. Feeling his neck quickly he felt...Gills? Evaporate in the air.
"You used a spell to give us gills? What the freaking fuck?!" Brooklyn yelled at her.
"It was temporary" Cordeila grunted at him. Rolling onto her side.
"It was insane!" He yelled again.
"Stop yelling. It worked didn't it?" She squeaked out.
Cordeila hadn't stood up yet. She just laid on the ground in a wet mess.
"Come on we have to go, I am going to get caught out in the sunlight before I can get you back to the rest of your clan like Goliath demanded I do" Brooklyn complained.
"Give me a second" Came her quiet reply.
Then Brooklyn caught the sticky and sweet smell of copper. He wasn't bleeding so that was defiantly her. Stooping he picked her up for the how many ith time tonight he didn't know. He could feel the warm blood trickling down her leg and running over his for arms. A sharp contrast to her wet and cold clothing.
"You got shot?!" Brooklyn asked in fear and anger.
"It has been a shit night" Cordelia replied weakly before adding "Home is the old stone on the edge of Forest park. The one with the owl carved on the door."
"So now you'll tell me?" Brooklyn snarled softly in frustration.
He carried her away from the waters edge. It took him a little until the could get into the air and glide to the edge of the forest. This area was wild and very sparsely populated, even being so close to the busy city. No house lights, cars or human noises anywhere. It was already lightening and he could sense the sun coming up soon. If he didn't drop her off to the rest of her clan he was going to end up leaving her alone here for the day. Injured. With hunters in the area. Goliath is going to be so pissed at me he thought.
"Umm...Cordelia? Is this the right place?" He asked, giving her a small jiggle. She had apparently fallen asleep. Or more likely passed out. Reaching her hand out with a swish and some garbled words he couldn't catch some sort of invisible shield opened and then closed back up as soon as he walked through it. The stone house she told him about in front of them. He jumped up onto the second story porch and took her inside.
"Umm, Hello?" Brooklyn called. That's all he needs, to startle a clan of... whatever they all are and get himself burnt to a crispy critter. Just one of Cordelia was bad enough.
"They aren't here" Cordelia whispered. "Just drop me on the floor before you turn to stone, Ill make sure nothing happens to you while you're sleeping.
Brooklyn set her down gently. He had run out of time to get back or get a hold of anyone back at the castle. Hopefully Patrick and the rest of her clan got here soon and helped her. Not knowing what else to say he knelt down and froze in stone as the sun came into the room.
Cordelia got to her knees and pulled herself up. This really has been a shit night she thought. Grabbing a spare phone she texted her family that Brooklyn had gotten stuck in the sun and she would keep an eye on him thought the day because of the hunters. Patrick would love that, her being noble and caring for someone other that their tiny clan and younglings. She did not mention them trying to kill each other. Or falling out of his arms and hitting the pavement. Or getting shot. Nope we will not be mentioning that. Cordelia sighed and drug herself off to the bathroom to clean herself up and bandage her leg.